Tasks Overview

SmarterMail's robust task system is designed to help users keep track of the things they need to do. From shopping lists to long-term tasks, users can create lists of items, set due dates, update status and completion percentage, and even prioritize tasks. And, as there are times when an email exchange leads to a task needing to be done, email messages can be the starting point for, or linked to, tasks so that all communication surrounding the task is kept organized.

By default, the Tasks source is displayed. If other task sources are being shared with you, they will appear beneath My Tasks once they've been mapped. (see Mapped Resources for more information on sharing resources.) Making multiple task sources visible will display all of the tasks, from each source, together in the All Tasks view.

Navigating Your Tasks

When you view your SmarterMail tasks for the first time, chances are they'll be empty: you won't have any tasks to display. This may not be true if you've migrated to SmarterMail from another email platform or service. Regardless, the layout of SmarterMail tasks is the same whether you have migrated existing tasks or not. To view or hide different task folders, such as shared tasks, or mapped resources, simply click the eye icon to the right of the resource name.

In general, the Tasks page is divided into two sections:

• The folders view displays all of your task folders. These are how your tasks are organized. These folders include the default "Tasks" folder, which are tasks you add or migrate over to SmarterMail, and any folders that contain shared tasks, if there are any.
• The content pane. Here you'll see individual cards that represent every contact and Contact Group you have displayed or, when in grid view, a list of your contacts and their details displayed as rows and columns.

Task Views

There are two ways to view tasks, and these views are managed using the "Card/Grid View" button at the top of the content pane:

• Card View - This displays each task as its own card, and displays details about the task like its name/title, start and due dates, priority, status, etc.
• Grid View - This displays each task in a text grid and displays details as columns, such as Subject, Start and Due dates, Priority, Percent Complete, etc.

Viewing Tasks

When you view your tasks in Card View, each task you have created or that's being shared with you will be listed on a separate card. Each card lists the following information, which is described in detail further down this page:

• Select - Clicking select gives you the following options:
• Select All - Selects all tasks in the list you are viewing.
• Deselect All - Deselects the selected task(s).
• Enable Select Mode - This allows users to select multiple different tasks, individually, one at a time. Use this method for selecting different tasks that are separated or scattered throughout your list so they can be deleted, or otherwise handled the same.
• Sort - Sorts contacts by Subject, Due Date, % Complete, or Priority in ascending or descending order.
• Filter - This gives you the ability to display contacts based on Status and/or on assigned category(-ies).
• Actions (⋮)
• Add to Outlook - Connects SmarterMail to Microsoft Outlook and synchronizes tasks. Note: This feature is only available in SmarterMail Enterprise.
• Import ICS File - Exports the selected item as an iCalendar file, a plain text file that can include details such as a description, betting and end times, location, etc.
• Export All to ICS File
• Delete - Deletes the selected task(s).

In general, the following options are available when viewing your tasks in Grid View:

• Delete - Deletes the selected task(s).
• Filter - This gives you the ability to display contacts based on Status and/or on assigned category(-ies).
• Actions (⋮)
• Add to Outlook - Connects SmarterMail to Microsoft Outlook and synchronizes tasks. Note: This feature is only available in SmarterMail Enterprise.
• Import ICS File - Exports the selected item as an iCalendar file, a plain text file that can include details such as a description, betting and end times, location, etc.
• Export All to ICS File

Viewing Individual Tasks

It's also possible to view tasks individually. Simply clicking on a task, either in Card or Grid View, will open the task in its own window. When you do this, a few buttons appear at the top of the new window. These include:

• Save - Saves any changes made to the task.
• Cancel - Closes the window without saving any changes.
• Delete - Deletes the task.
• Attachment - Allows you to attach files to the task. NOTE: If Tasks are synced to a mobile or desktop client, these attachments may sync as well, depending on the protocol used.
• Mark - Allows the task to be assigned one or more Categories. (This button also allows users to manage the categories listed.)

Opening a task gives you the ability to update or edit its information. The information about a task is listed om various cards, which break down as follows:

• Subject/Description:
• Task Subject - This is the descriptive title of the task, such as "Fill out mortgage paperwork" or "Review New Website Content"
• Description - These are the details of the task. Using the HTML editor, a task's details can include bold text, lists, different fonts or fonts with different colors, pictures, links to websites or videos and more. You can be as creative as you like
• Details:
• Source - This tells you where the task came from> E.g., Tasks or a shared task list.
• Start and due times - The date and time the task is set to begin, and when it's due.
• Reminder - If you want a reminder when a task is coming due, use this toggle and set its date and time.
• Private Task - If you want this task to NOT display on your calendar, especially if that calendar is shared with others, toggle this setting.
• Priority - This allows you to set a level of importance for each task. A priority makes it much easier to sort tasks based on how important it is to complete those tasks.
• Status - Generally, these are:
  • Canceled - The task was created, but it was eventually decided it wasn't necessary.
  • Not Started - The task was created -- perhaps more information is needed or it's dependent on a task from another user -- so it hasn't been started yet.
  • Completed - The task is finished.
  • In Progress - The task is currently being worked on.
• % Complete - This allows you to periodically update where you are in terms of completing the task. This is especially helpful if the task is being shared with others within your organization. As an aside, once a task hits 100%, it's "Status" will automatically change to "Completed". Conversely, if a task was set to 100% and, therefore, Completed, if the Completion Percentage changes to less than 100%, the Status of the task automatically changes to "In Progress".
• Attachments:
• When available, if any attachments were added to a task, they'll be listed here. Each attachment can then be downloaded and viewed/used as needed.

Sharing Tasks

SmarterMail gives users the ability to share multiple things within their account. More information on sharing, and how to share items, can be found on the Sharing Overview page of this help documentation.

Tasks and Calendars

As tasks generally have a timeframe associated with them, you can choose to have your tasks displayed in your calendar, just as you do other events. You can opt to have the start time and/or the end times displayed. You can also hide Tasks from your calendar that have been marked as "Completed". To manage all this, go to your User Settings and open up Calendar Settings. On the Options card, you can enable or disable "Display task start times in the calendar view", "Display task due times in the calendar view" and "Hide completed tasks". As with any other calendar event, task start times and end times both trigger any notification you have set for the task.